The history of arms control in outer space reads like a success story. Outer space is one of the few domains of human activity in which the focus has been on prevention. Although military satellites that provide communications, remote sensing, navigation, and timing services once dominated space and continue to provide essential military services, their operations have long been considered peaceful. Those of us working in space security say that space is “militarized but not weaponized.”

Over the past two decades, outer space has seen significant changes. To use the most clichéd phrase, space has become even more crowded, congested, and contested. But like many clichés, it is also true. Published in The Ploughshares Monitor Volume 39 Issue 3 Autumn 2018 by Dr. Rajeswari Pillai Rajagopalan New players A domain that was once dominated by the two Cold …

The new U.S. National Security Strategy promises to put America first, raising critical questions about the future of alliances and economic partnerships, as well as about how the international community will handle challenges such as climate change that require concerted cooperation. Perhaps more troubling are the implications for arms control in a strategy that emphasizes “peace through strength.” In particular, …

Briefing 04-1 Author Ernie Regehr Also available in PDF (click on attachment below) The US fiscal year 2005 budget request that President Bush has now sent to Congress upgrades the Missile Defense Agency’s commitment to pursuing a space-based element to ballistic missile defence (BMD). At the same time, Canadian Defence Minister David Pratt’s recent letter …

Briefing 03-3 Author Sarah Estabrooks Click here for PDF version We are currently standing at a crossroads in the development of outer space. First called for by US President Eisenhower in 1958, the principle that space would be used for peaceful purposes has been accepted for nearly 50 years. Although the term “peaceful purposes” was never clearly defined, it was accepted …